Most years, May is one of my favorite months. Spring is officially (mostly) conquering winter. The trees and grass are green. Flowers are in bloom. Birds are singing. The view from my kitchen window All that is true this year as well, but the first few weeks of May nearly did me in.  First, my husband and I had his-and-hers eye infections. Then, he brought home a wicked, bone-rattling cough. I thought for sure I was going to catch it.  The Pennwriters Conference was coming up. I tried to imagine keeping my roommate awake all night with that cough. Or trying to get through two workshops while trying to catch my breath.  Just when it looked like I might dodge that bullet, something even worse struck. Kensi Kitty, within a matter of hours, went from perfectly healthy to lethargic and refused to eat or drink. She was obviously in distress.  Sad Kensi at the vet's office I took her to the vet almost immediately. Her blood tests and X-rays looked BAD. The vet didn't expect...

It's New Year's Eve and as I have almost every year, I'm taking some time to reflect on my Looking Ahead post from this past January.  The biggest question mark a year ago was the status of books 3 and 4 in the Honeywell series. As you likely know, both have recently been released with tomorrow being the "official" release date of No Stone Left Unturned in print. After the shaky start, I'm especially happy to have these two out in the world.  I had a relatively full schedule of appearances all year, despite not having anything new out.   Malice Domestic was especially fun because it was announced that I will be their 2026 Guest of Honor! More on that in tomorrow's Looking Ahead post.  I succeeded in turning in the standalone, however, my agent sent it back with lots of notes. I'm still working on it.  I also succeeded in completing Honeywell #5. At least the first draft. I submitted it by my deadline and now have it back, also with notes, these from...

Last weekend's Pennwriters Conference went off without a hitch. Mostly. Having been a conference coordinator once a long, long time ago, I know there are lots of hitches and glitches behind the scenes. The trick is how you handle them. This year's coordinators handled them beautifully. I'd guess 99.9% of the attendees were unaware and were too busy having fun to notice. Smiling faces abounded. I had a glitch of my own to contend with. After teaching two workshops on Friday, I had one more to go on Saturday afternoon, and it was the one that totally depended on a PowerPoint slide show.  Friday night in my hotel room, I reached into my computer bag to pull out my laptop and was startled to feel how hot it was. Not scorching hot, but warmer than usual. Let me add that my beloved laptop is five years old, which seems to be their life expectancy. The battery no longer holds a charge, so I need to keep in plugged in when using it.  Anyway, I decided to err on the side of caution ...

The Pennwriters Conference begins this Friday, and I’m teaching three workshops, so right now, my focus is on making lists, packing, and preparing my classes and handouts. I may not be writing, but I’m thinking about writing a lot .   I do have more news to share. While I’ve had my doubts in recent months, it appears there will be two more Detective Honeywell Mysteries coming out this year! I have release dates and titles! But still no cover art.   The third in the series will be The Devil Comes Calling and will be released in eBook format on November 7, 2025. The fourth will be out in eBook on December 19 and is titled No Stone Left Unturned . Preorder links are starting to pop up sans the still-missing covers, but I’m not promoting them until there’s something interesting to look at. Call me superstitious. It simply never feels real until I have that cover art.   I also got my developmental edits for No Stone Left Unturned , and they don’t look too daunting. I’...

For the last few years, I’ve been saying I want—no, NEED—to slow down. I’ve been pumping out books as fast as I could. Two or three a year. Now, I know writers who write even more than that, and I’m in awe. But for me, the old cliché “all work and no play” was wearing on me. Back on January 1 of 2024, I announced that I was taking measures to let me slow down. And I am. I’ve cut back on travel, although to be honest, a big part of that has to do with Kensi’s heart issues and the twice-a-day pill she gets. But the key measure I’ve taken involved turning down a three-book contract to continue the Zoe Chambers series. Okay, don’t cry or send threatening letters. I turned it down FOR NOW. I did not burn bridges. I simply need a break from multiple deadlines one after the other. Also back on January 1, 2024, I mentioned a book deal sitting on my desk. As you probably already have heard, that was another three-book offer, this one for the Detective Honeywell series. I’ve already written ...

Let's catch up from my last post. The Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books was fabulous despite some inclement weather. My panel was indoors, and the rain didn't start until my signing beneath a tent was wrapping up. Photo courtesy of Martha Reed My "fellow thriller writer" panelists were awesome. The quotation marks are because I felt like a fraud being labeled a thriller writer, not because of the two gentlemen on the panel. They were legit. And kind. They made me feel like I belonged there.  I made it to my second appearance that day with time to spare. I did not, however, remember to take photos or ask anyone else to. The Pennwriters Conference was amazing as always. I spent some quality time with my fabulous friend, Hank Phillippi Ryan, who helped me brainstorm plot twists for a future book.  More recently, I participated in a local author book event in Waynesburg, PA, and officially launched What Comes Around at Mystery Lovers Bookshop. Next up is Noir UNDER th...

Here's a list of what's been going on. Helpless did not win the Agatha. My streak holds What Comes Around is now available in ebook and paperback. What Comes Around will be out in audiobook in July. I had a root canal, followed by a temporary crown, followed by a permanent crown. I finally got some contractual stuff settled (going back to my agent's death in November.) I've been trying to work on developmental edits for the next Honeywell mystery.  Here's a list of what's coming up. Thriller Panel at the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books, Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Cozy Panel at the Upper St. Clair Library, Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Pennwriters Conference, May 17-18  The parts I find ridiculously funny are the two panels on Saturday. First, because I'm double-booked and am praying I don't hit traffic getting from one to the other. Second, because I'm classified as a thriller author in the morning and a cozy author in the afternoon.  Those aren't t...

Last year, I failed miserably in my intent to slow down. This year, I'm taking measures to see that I will be able to slow down in the near future. We'll see how it goes. I realized yesterday that I can't yet talk about much of what's on my plate for 2024. I have a book deal sitting on a desk while everyone's off on holiday break. Until that contract is signed, I'm keeping quiet. Suffice it to say, I'm writing a book that should come out at the end of the year. More on that later. I'm teaching a couple of writing courses this year, one in January, another in November. Plus, I have a couple of workshops scheduled.  The 13th Zoe Chambers Mystery, What Comes Around, is scheduled for release in May. Stay tuned for more on that (cover reveal, pre-orders), too.  I have two other books to outline and one of those to write before the end of the year.  I'm sorry I'm being so vague. Basically, I'm saying, that in 2024, I plan to write two books and out...

Happy New Year.   I'm whispering the greeting for two reasons. One, I'm feeling a little trepidation, remembering how happy we were to see 2020 go and how quickly we realized nothing had changed. Two, I have laryngitis on the heels of a nasty cold (negative Covid test).  Moving on to my goals (not resolutions) for the coming twelve months. Once again, there are things I can control and things I can only hope for.  Under my control:  1. Complete revisions on Fatal Reunion and celebrate its release this coming May! I am thrilled to bring Zoe and Pete back to my readers.  2. Complete rewrite of my NaNoWriMo manuscript (as yet in search of a title) and get it back out on submission. 3. Outline, research, and write the 12th Zoe Chambers Mystery.  4. Set up a mini book tour for this summer. Hoping for: 1. Attend Malice Domestic. I'm more optimistic about this actually happening this year. As long as the fabulous people running the convention proceed with their p...

My newsletter went out this morning. If you missed it, check your inbox. If you aren't a subscriber, you should sign up now . (There's a free short story as a gift for subscribing.) The real reason I mention the newsletter, though, is even if you did receive it, there was one topic I didn't cover. The 2021 Pennwriters Conference. There's a link to it on the Events page of my website, however.  I've long touted Pennwriters as one of the writing communities without which I'd never have been published. It's a multi-genre organization that offers networking, workshops, meetings, critique groups, and...yes... an annual conference .  This year's conference, like so many others, will be virtual. If travel, lodging, and the cost of all those meals have been your excuses for not attending in the past, here's your chance.  Check out the schedule here . I'm teaching two workshops on Friday. First is Red Herrings and the Moonwalking Bear. If the name makes y...

My Uneasy Prey blog tour is pretty much done, but the links are still up on my website if you want to see what you missed. I do have a couple more guest spots coming up including this Friday with the Wicked Cozies ... always a fun stop! This morning I turned in my revisions for Cry Wolf , the next Zoe Chambers Mystery coming this September. And I'm working on the NEXT next Zoe Chambers Mystery. In my "spare time" (cue the laughter), I'm updating my "Avoiding Emotional Cliches" workshop, which I'll be teaching this Saturday at the Writers Project Runway IV conference in Leesburg, Virginia. If you're a writer or aspire to be, you should check this out. It's an awesome line-up. And we'll be signing books later in the afternoon, so if you're in the area, stop by!

It's been a long, busy year, so I thought I'd share some of my photo memories from 2017. The year started on a low note with the passing of my mom. After laying low over the winter, I came out from grief-induced hibernation for a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia where I had a fun book signing for No Way Home ...  ...and got another hug from my favorite TV cowboy and Emergency! doctor, Robert Fuller. It's always great to see him! Back home, we launched No Way Home officially at Mystery Lovers Bookshop . And I joined my pals Joyce Tremel and J.J. Hensley for an author panel. In April, I traveled to Bethesda, Maryland for Malice Domestic . (Yes, that's Anne Hillerman at my left! I got to sit on a panel with her! Squee!) (Agatha Award Banquet fun with my Henery Press editors and friends) May brought a cross-state road trip for my first ever visit to Philadelphia.  From the big city, I headed to the small town of New Hope for a grou...